Hyperfly recently announced a collaboration with Playboy Magazine, but quickly backed out due to public backlash.
Read their statement below.
Hyperfly & Playboy Collab
For some reason, Hyperfly decided to announce that they were doing a collaboration with Playboy Magazine. The two companies were set to co-create limited edition BJJ Gis, but that won’t be happening.
The BJJ apparel brand was harshly criticized by some top female BJJ athletes. Two of the most notable were Alanis Santiago and Samantha Cook who made these comments.
“I just don’t get how Playboy is suddenly the face of ‘empowering women who fight.’ A brand built on objectifying women is now being rebranded as feminist? Be serious. This isn’t empowerment, it’s marketing. You don’t get to rewrite history just because it comes with a gi.”- Alanis Santiago.
This partnership doesn’t reflect the values many women in our community train for. Empowerment isn’t about image – It’s about respect, safety, and choice. True empowerment doesn’t come from aligning with brands that have historically disempowered women.”- Samantha Cook.
The Apology
Hyperfly wasn’t expecting such negative responses and they quickly announced that they canceled the collaboration with Playboy.
“We hear you and want to extend our deepest apologies to anyone who feels disappointed or let down by this collaboration. We humbly respect the concerns being voiced and want you to know that this partnership was not entered into lightly.”
They continued.
“Because we value this community and everything it stands for, we’ve decided to pause this collaboration for now and take time to reflect on the criticism we received.”
Bobby is martial artist for almost 20 years with a BJJ black belt under Professor Sergio Miranda. He is also a karate black and former combat sports athlete, who loves all things grappling.